A federal jury in Houston is now weighing the case against Alexandra Nicks, the rapper better known as OMB Bloodbath, whom prosecutors accuse of ordering a 2017 drive-by shooting in the Third Ward that left a bystander dead. A 12-member jury was seated this week at the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse, and the trial is expected to last as long as two weeks. Nicks and co-defendant Shaquile O’Neal Richards were indicted in 2023 on federal racketeering charges that could mean decades behind bars, or worse, if they are convicted.
Justice Department attorneys used their opening statements to tell jurors they will connect the alleged plot to a larger criminal enterprise and to recorded communications. According to the Houston Chronicle, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Zenon‑Matos told the court, "They did not pull the trigger, but they pulled the strings," adding that prosecutors intend to show the shooting was carried out to maintain power and territory.
Federal Indictment And Prosecutors' Case
The federal indictment, returned in March 2023, accuses Nicks, Richards, and four others of using firearms in aid of racketeering as alleged members of the 100% Third Ward (103) gang. A press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office describes the case as part of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Initiative and alleges that the defendants ordered a retaliatory attack after an earlier shooting left a 103-member paralyzed. The federal filings and prosecutors’ openings point to recorded jail calls and coordinated instructions to the shooters as the connection between the accused leaders and the violence on the street.
The 2017 Third Ward Attack
The shooting took place in October 2017 on London Street in Houston’s Third Ward. Houston police, in an early news release about the arrests, identified the scene as 6833 London Street. Security camera footage shown in court, along with police accounts, shows four men firing from a speeding vehicle, then carjacking another vehicle to get away. Jurors were told the attackers unleashed dozens of rounds from handguns and semi-automatic rifles. The trial record also reflects that one of the alleged gunmen, Mertroy “Big Blood” Harris, has pleaded guilty and is now testifying about the gang’s structure and the directions allegedly passed down to foot soldiers, according to reporting and courtroom testimony.
Legal Stakes And What Comes Next
The charges in the federal case include murder in aid of racketeering and related firearms offenses, which the U.S. Attorney’s Office says can carry penalties of up to life in prison or death. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, prosecutors view the prosecution as part of a broader push to target violent gang leadership. Defense lawyers have signaled they will challenge the admissibility of recorded jail calls and other key evidence as the trial moves forward. The court is expected to continue hearing witness testimony in the coming days as both sides lay out their cases.
